Latch



Sept.. 17, 1935.

G. E. ROEDDING LATCH Filed May 2l, 1954 fara/072 @fafa/ak.

Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application May 21, 1934, Serial No. 726,714

Claims.

frigerators, etc.; and its object is, generallyftb provide an improved latch having a bolt-retracting handle which may be turned parallelly with 5 the door member on which it is mounted to angularly spaced positions in which it may be yieldingly held, this latch being of a type similar to that shown in my pending application, Ser. No. 633,095, filed September., 14, 1932, but improved thereover in certain respects; and more particularly, to provide a latch of that type having improved means for yieldingly holding the bolt-retracting handle when turned to such positions; and further, to provide improved mounting means for said handle; and further, to provide improved mounting means for the yieldingly handle-holding means; and further, to provide a sealing element in the structure.

These and any other and more specic objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the invention nds preferable embodiment in, the illustrative structure particularly described in the body of this specification and illustrated by the accompanying drawing -in which:

Figure 1 is a ,sectional view of a door closure and door jamb and of a latch structure, taken on` a plane corresponding to line I-I of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of said closure and latch structure, inverted, taken on line 2-2 of Figures 1 and 3; i

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the latch structure taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

y Figure 4 is an edgewise view of a rotatable circular member on which the bolt-operating handle of the latch is swingable;

Figure 5 is an edgewise view of a fixed circular cover for said member;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a circular plate rotatable with the member shown in Figure 4; and Figure 'I is a. view in perspective of a bowed leaf spring.

In the drawing is illustrated a latch structure mounted on a swingable doorv closure I, its y; keeper or strike 2 being mounted on the jamb or Adoor frame 3. This structure includes a base plate 4 secured by screws 54 on the outer face of the closure, and a. member 5 (desirably of sheet metal) joined to said plate by its bent over 50 tongues 6 welded on the inner side of this plate, said member 5 extending into a cavity 1 of the closure. 'I'he latch bolt 8 (desirably'iormed of sheet metal) is pivotally mounted on a pintle pin 9 extending through the opposite sides I0 of member 5, whose middle portion Il has an open- V (C1. Zea-224) The present invention relates to latches for reing I2 through which the latch bolt is projected into latching engagement (shown in Figure l) with the keeper. A circular cover member I3 is fixed on the upwardly-odset middle portion I4 of said plate by its bent over tongues I5 extending 5 through slots I6 in the plate. Within this cover a circular member I1 is rotatable parallelly with theA closures face, this member being formed correspondingly with its cover member I3 and having a central opening I8 registering with a 10 similar central opening I9 through the cover member. This rotatable inner member I1 has a diametrical open bearing 20 in which the pivot pin 2| of an operating handle lever 22 rocks, this handle lever having an outer arm 23 adapted to 15 be grasped by hand, and an arm 24 extending into the structures member 5.

A circular plate 25 has on its edge tongues 26 engaging in notches 21 in the downwardly extending peripheral flange 28 of member I1 so as 20 to be rotated therewith, this plate bearing on the middle portion I4 of the base plate 4. A bowed leaf spring 29 has an elongated opening 30 in its middle lthrough which the levers arm 24 extends, its attened opposite sides 32 sliding along 25 the sides 3I of said opening, so that the rotation of the lever handle parallelly with the closures face carries this spring with it, said spring bearing on the outer side of plate 25 and on a shoulder 23 of said arm, so that the outwardly bowed 3o middle of the spring pressed the lever outwardly in order that its pintle 2I may bear on the inner surface of the cover member I3.

The latch bolt 8 is pressed into latching engagement with the keeper 2 by a coiled spring 34 sur- 35 rounding a bar 35 which has a rockingmovement at its ends in the internal angle 36 of the bolt and on the structures member 5, thus engaging the rod 31 turnable in bearings 38 in said members opposite sides I0. 40

Means for retracting the latch bolt from its keeper includes said lever handle mounted for swinging or rocking movement in the bearing 20 of the rotatable member I1 as above explained, and for turning movement parallel with the face of the closure to angularly spaced positions' in which it is operative to retract the bolt and in which it is yieldingly held, the circular member I1 and leaf spring 29 being thus rotatable with and by the lever handle.

The latch bolt 8 has a U-shaped ange 39 'or 'cam bearing with amiddle or bight portion 40 and inclined portions 4I extending on opposite sides of the bight portion. When the handle lever is turned to a position in which its inner arm 24 65 engages in said bight portion, the drawing of the handle portion 23 outwardly retracts the bolt, and when said handle portion is turned about 90 degrees either way from that position said arm engages one or the other of the inclined portions :il to retract the bolt; but if said handle portion be turned 180 degrees :from said first-mentioned position, the arm 24 does 'not engage any part of said cam bearing and therefore the outwardly swinging movement of the handle portion 23 cannot retract the bolt.

'I'he operating lever handle 22 is yieldingly held in the angular positions into which it is rotated parallelly with the closures face by a pair of -oppositely disposed short plungers 42 slidable in slot bearings 43 in the outer end portions of the sides l0 of the structures member 5, these plungers being urged outwardly by coiled springs 44 within the inner end bores 45 of the plungers and surrounding outwardly extending tongues 45 in said slots midway between their sides 41.

The circular plate 25 has angularly disposed round holes 48 into either pair of oppositely disposed holes the rounded upper ends 49 of the plungers engage to yieldingly hold said plate, the member I1 and lever handle 22 against rotation parallel with the closures face, but said parts may be turned out of such holding engagement merely by sufficient turning force applied to the handle portion 23.

A flexible element 50 of rubber or the like is inserted into the open upper end of the structures member 5 and held in place by said members inwardly turned tongues 5|. The arm 24 extends tightly but turnably through this element which is resiliently `flexed by the rocking of the lever handle in its bearing 20, and serves to seal the interior of the closed refrigerator from outside conditions.

It will be seen that this exible element 50 being resilient and being seated in the door member, i. e. its edges being confined in the member 5, the swinging movement of the handle causes its arm 24 to compress said element in the direction in which said arm moves, and does this although the handle may be turned parallelly with the door members face, for the arm 24 is turnable relatively to said element but closely held in it.

Bearing portions for the sides l0 of the latch bolt are formed by pressing portions 52 of the sides I0 of the structures member 5 inwardly as shown.

It will be seen that this latch structure may be mounted on door closures hinged at their right or left hand sides.

An outer casing 53 of sheet metal may be provided as shown.

The invention being intended to be pointed out in the claims, is not to be limited to or by details of .construction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawing or hereinbefore described.

I claim:

1. A latch structure comprising: a latching bolt; an operating handle mounted on a door member for turning movement parallel with the face of said member to angularly spaced operative positions the handle having also a swinging movement transverse to its said turning movement to retract the bolt;v means for yieldingly holding the handle in operative turned positions including a plate turnable with the handle in its turning movement and having angularly spaced openings, and plungers slidable relatively to said door member having rounded ends spring pressed into said openings and reversely movable therefrom by the turning movement of the handle.

2. A latch structure comprising: a l-atching bolt; an operating handle mounted on a door member for turning movement parallel with the face of said member to angularly spaced operative positions the handle having also a swinging movement transverse to its said turning movement to retract the bolt; means for yieldingly holding the handle in operative turned positions including a plate turnable with the handle in its turning movement and having angularly spaced openings, plungers slidable relatively to said door member having rounded ends spring pressed into said openings and reversely movable therefrom by the turning movement of the handle, a member containing the plate turnable with the handle in its turning movement and having a bearing in which 20 the handle is swingable.

3. A latch structure comprising: a latching bolt; an operating handle mounted on a .door member for turning movement parallel with the face of said member to angularly spaced operative 25 positions the handle having also a swinging movement transverse to its said turning movement to retract the bolt; means for yieldingly holding the handle in operative turned positions including a plate turnable with the handle in its turning 30 movement and having angularly spaced openings, plungers slidable relatively to said door member having rounded ends spring pressed into said openings and reversely movable therefrom by the turning movement of the handle, a member con- 35 taining the plate turnable with the handle in its turning movement and having a bearing in which the handle is swingable, and a spring pressing between the plate and the handle for yieldingly resisting its swinging operative movement.

4. A latch structure comprising: a member mounted on a door member, extending thereinto and having opposite sides provided with slots extending from the outer ends of said sides and having outwardly extending tongues in the middle 45 of the slots; a latching bolt pivotally mounted between ysaid sides; an operating handle mounted on the door member for turning movement parallel with the face thereof to angularly spaced operative positions the handle having also a 50 swinging movement transverse to its said turning movement to retractl the bolt; means for yieldingly holding the handle in operative turned positions including a plate turnable with the handle and having angularly spaced openings, plungers 55 slidably bearing in said slots having rounded ends adapted to engage in said openings, and coiled springs surrounding said tongues and urging the plungers into the openings.

5. A latch structure comprising: a latching bolt; an operating lever handle mounted on a door member for turning movement parallel with the face of said member to angularly spaced operative positions, the handle having also a swinging movement transverse to its said turning movement to retract the bolt, and an arm extending into the door member to engaging position with the bolt; a resilient element seated in the door member, yieldingly holding the operating handle against its said swinging movement and having an opening through which said arm extends tightly and turnably.

GORDON E. ROEDDING. 

